ARTWORKS

A View of a Village

Roelof van Vries (c.1631–after 1681)

The National Gallery, London

A View of a Village

Image credit: The National Gallery, London

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Two figures stand and sit in the shadows at the edge of a wood and contemplate an ancient church almost shrouded in trees. Light filters down a pathway between them, giving an eerie feeling to the image. The picture has lost some of its colour and vibrancy, but even so it brings the imagination into play: the atmosphere; the figures in silhouette so we have no idea what they look like; the dark doorways of the church, hardly encouraging entry.

Small enigmatic figures dwarfed by the old buildings they contemplate make a common theme in van Vries’s paintings – why is this person here, will he go in through the door, what might happen next? The images seem to invite you to make your own interpretation of the scene, not just once but many times.

The National Gallery, London

London

Read more on The National Gallery, London
Title

A View of a Village

Date

about 1660-5

Medium

Oil on oak

Measurements

H 64.8 x W 49 cm

Accession number

NG134

Acquisition method

Bequeathed by Lt-Col. J.H. Ollney, 1837

Work type

Painting

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Normally on display at

The National Gallery, London

Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England

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Artist or maker

Roelof van Vries

c.1631–after 1681

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